Page 6 of Echoes of Danger
“I’m on my way. What the fuck happened? Where’s Jessica?”
“No,” I say quickly. “I just need help remembering something.”
“Reynolds, you’re not making any damn sense.”
“My dad. His stories.”
“Are you and Jessica in trouble?”
“I am. Possibly,” I admit honestly. “But you’ll understand why here in a few. The stories my dad told us. Remind me.”
“Fuck, Reynolds. Your dad told us many stories.”
“About your person. We never talked about it when you met Knox, but I know you felt it.”
“Fuck,” he sighs. “He used to tell us not to waste time on someone if our souls didn’t tell us they were meant for us.”
“You’ll know who your person is the very second your eyes connect,” I continue, pacing as I try to calm myself. “You’ll feel it down to your bones. The beat of your heart will sync with theirs. It will be instantaneous. Overwhelming.”
Taylor pauses on the other end of the line, his voice softening. “You’re saying you felt it?”
“I don’t know what I felt,” I admit, pacing back and forth. “But the moment I saw her, everything just…clicked. And now I can’t think straight. Hell, I can barely breathe.”
“If she’s the one, you need to figure it out. Don’t be stupid and let her slip away.”
“Knoxy?” I ask, knowing he’ll understand my question.
“The very fucking second,” he whispers.
“My dad is crazy,” I whisper back.
“Your dad is crazy in love with your mom,” he laughs. “Obviously, the man knows what he’s talking about. The second my eyes connected with Knox, I knew he was mine. I didn’t know how I would make that happen, but I knew it would happen.”
“I can’t hire her,” I tell him. “That would be wrong. I’m looking for a live-in nanny. Not to mention, her paper said that she comes with a fifteen-year-old son.”
“What does that have to do with her being your person?” I hear Knox ask, his voice clipped. “Put your feelings aside for a moment and focus on the task at hand. Do the interview with us on speakerphone. We will make sure any decision you make is because it was the right one to make.”
“You need a nanny,” Taylor reminds me. “You can’t bring your daughter on jobs. We’ll worry about everything else after.A five-minute track through the woods, and we can be at your side.”
“You’re right. But I’ll be fine, Knoxy. I’ll call you guys right after.”
“You better,” he responds. “I’m hacking into your email and getting her name. I’m going to dig into her past.”
I would argue, but it’s probably something I should have done with the other three people I’ve interviewed so far.
“Talk to you guys in a bit.”
Taking a deep breath, I hang up the phone and head back to the door. My hand hovers over the handle, my heart still pounding in my chest. With one final exhale, I swing it open.
She’s still there. Face full of freckles and eyes wide with a mixture of confusion and concern. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” I say, clearing my throat. “I’m really sorry about that. I didn’t mean to be rude. Can we start over?”
She nods slowly, the tension in her shoulders easing just a little. “Of course.”
“Thank you,” I say, stepping aside to let her in. “Please, come in.”
She steps inside, and I notice how her presence seems to ground me, even as my thoughts race. I gesture towards the living room, trying to regain some semblance of professionalism.